• Bebe Cool’s 2025 list has once again angered musicians left out of the rankings

• Eddy Kenzo and Ziza Bafana have both dismissed the list as trash and irrelevant

• Ziza Bafana also opened up about why he is not rushing to stage a concert

When Bebe Cool once claimed that whenever he sneezes, the entire Ugandan music industry catches a flu, many laughed it off as arrogance. Years later, that statement appears to hold some weight—at least judging by the reaction his controversial Bebe Cool List continues to attract.

The singer has released his Bebe Cool List of 2025, once again leaving out several popular musicians. As expected, the omissions have triggered outrage, with critics accusing him of bias and irrelevance. Despite Bebe Cool repeatedly insisting that the list reflects his personal opinion, many artists still struggle to accept it as such.

One of the most notable voices to react is Eddy Kenzo, the president of the Uganda National Musicians Federation. While addressing the matter, Kenzo dismissed the list, accusing Bebe Cool of clinging onto trending musicians as a way of staying relevant, branding the list “trash.”

The criticism did not stop there. Singer Ziza Bafana, who has previously clashed with Bebe Cool, also weighed in—this time coming to the defense of his fellow artist. Bafana echoed Kenzo’s sentiments, insisting that Big Talent artists should not waste time responding to what he termed a useless list.

According to Ziza Bafana, Bebe Cool’s list is purely subjective and only features musicians who think like him. He argued that true quality lies elsewhere, citing artists such as Maddox as his personal benchmark for good music.

Bafana further claimed that the list is a publicity move, alleging that Bebe Cool is using it to stay relevant after releasing what he described as a weak album. He added that it is disappointing for such rankings to come from someone many artists grew up admiring as an icon of Uganda’s music industry.

“My brother Kenzo should not stress himself with hat list. It’s Bebe Cool’s opinion and we all know the artists on it have the same thinking capacity as him. He made an album that flopped and now clinging onto trending artists is the only way for him to stay relevant,” said Bafana.

Away from the controversy, the “Pomini” singer also spoke about the possibility of staging a concert. Bafana said he is in no rush, explaining that poorly organized concerts often leave local artists drowning in debt.

He noted that most concerts in Uganda struggle to sell out, adding that it is usually foreign-based artists who successfully fill venues when they perform in the country.